


A Half-Empty Glass of Cider

by Altenprano



Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Angst, F/M, Oneshot, Romance, ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-25
Updated: 2014-06-25
Packaged: 2018-02-06 05:52:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1846801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Altenprano/pseuds/Altenprano
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John's reflection on his marriage with Vera and where it went wrong, all spurred by Anna's half-empty glass of cider. One-shot, a little angsty.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Half-Empty Glass of Cider

**Author's Note:**

>   
>  I was just speculating a little this morning on John's relationship with Vera and how it stood after the whole "it's not against the law to take a mistress" scene, as he's cleaning the bar...because that's a good time to reflect on your sour marriage if you're John Bates, I suppose.  
> Disclaimer: I own nothing  
> Enjoy!

Why?

This question, this painful, single word of a question plagued John as he watched Anna leave, his eyes fixed on the door long after she'd left, wondering if she would come by on her next half-day. If she did, what then? It would only be a matter of time before Vera found out and made sure to raze Anna's reputation to the ground, along with her husband's -- as if that hadn't already been done.

A heavy sigh escaped John as he forced himself back to work, which at this hour was mostly washing glasses and cleaning up after another busy day. As he took the glass that had been Anna's not long ago, he was unable to do anything but smile at how much of the drink remained, and he wondered if she'd simply forgotten to finish it, or if she'd only asked for the drink as a pretense. No, she wouldn't have used that as a pretense-- the Anna he knew hated pretenses. She must have forgotten about it. 

Had the drink been another's, he would probably grimace at the waste, even if he cared little for alcohol anymore, seeing it in the context of a pub as nothing but a shortcut to a ruined life.

_You would know, wouldn't you?_ he thought, his small grin giving way to a slight grimace as he continued with clearing the bar, hoping to get so caught up in his work that he wouldn't mark the passage of time, and then maybe Anna would be back when he looked up from the array of drying glasses. Of course, he would have to endure Vera before he could see Anna again, and if she caught on, well, even John shuddered at that thought.

He'd loved Vera once, and she'd loved him too. They'd been so happy together, before...before whatever went wrong happened. To this day, the question sometimes kept John from sleeping, and he would lie awake, wondering what happened, why they had fallen out of love with the other. Was it because every attempt at having a child together was met with failure? Or because he'd chosen to go fight in Africa, and instead of coming home victorious, he'd come home a cripple?

_I told you to come home with your shield or on it!_ she'd spat in so many of his nightmares, though in reality, she bore his condition with strained tolerance and poise. He knew those weren't her words-- they belonged to Spartan wives, and that was only according to history books. 

Something had happened to turn Vera into the spiteful creature that had framed him for stealing the silver all those years ago, before Downton, before Anna. It wasn't something that simply happened overnight. And rather than press her for why she'd become so hard-hearted, he'd accepted her blame as his own with silence, as if that would soften her heart towards him. Anything for her forgiveness, or even to know what he'd done wrong. 

He would do the same today, if it meant she would leave Anna in peace. Her quarrel was with him, not Anna Smith, an angel if he'd ever met one, and the finest lady in all the world. 

_To think this was all brought on by a half-finished glass of cider,_ he thought, giving his head a quick shake. _Now back to work, before you do something foolish over this whole affair._

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it. I'm always open to comments and critiques, and once more, thank you!


End file.
